We don’t need a map: a Martu experience of the Western Desert

Following on from its critically acclaimed run at Fremantle Arts Centre in 2013, the landmark exhibition We don’t need a map: a Martu experience of the Western Desert brought the spirit of the Western Desert to arts centres right throughout regional Australia. The exhibition celebrated the distinct visual language of the Martu people, the traditional owners of a vast area of Western Australia’s Western Desert. This multi-faceted exhibition explored Martu’s deeply embedded understanding and layered interpretations of the land. Far more than just a static collection of Martu art, We don’t need a map invited audiences to actively engage with Martu culture, Martu people, their way of life and the way they care for Country and belong to it.

The exhibition featured more than thirty artists and redefined boundaries by bringing together the traditional culture and knowledge of the Martu with cutting edge new media artists from around Australia. Stunning paintings, digital animation, immersive video installations, aerial desert photography, finely wrought traditional cultural objects and photographic portraits of the artists all sat side by side. Works ranged from paintings by senior artists documenting Martu culture to contemporary snapshots by younger artists of camel hunts and football matches all of which gave the viewer a rich insight into Martu culture.